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Key Components to Creating Your Backyard Oasis – Part 1

I hope you are enjoying this strangely cool and wet summer. Because it hasn’t been very hot, my tomatoes aren’t thriving as well as usual, but the abundance of rain means everything else sure is!

Speaking of that rain, many of my clients have asked about a little fungus among us. It resembles an inverted mushroom and has popped up in their mulch. It’s harmless, and quite common with this much precipitation. They disappear once the mulch has had a chance to dry completely.

Low Maintenance, Affordable Water Features for Your Garden

Because this has been a water, water, everywhere kind of summer, I’ve been thinking about the benefits of adding water elements (ok, intended water elements!) to landscapes.

When most of us think of a water feature, the first that comes to mind is a pond, which can be highmaintenance and attract unwanted guests like mosquitos. But many options are available, from simple and small, to quite elaborate, depending upon your landscape and preferences. Here are a few of my favorite aqua elements.

Waterfall Cascades. Are you tight on space and still want to add soothing sound to your garden? Installing a waterfall cascade is easy, affordable, and adds a calming element to the landscape. See how simple it is to add this feature to your landscape by clicking here.

Water Bowl. Do you want to add a small water feature to add some zen to your garden? Look no further than our lowmaintenance, water bowls! Easy to assemble and very affordable.

Streams. Life is but a stream! Nothing is more soothing than the sound of meandering or rushing water. Again, your landscaped stream can be simple and rusticsome moving water and stones or rather ornate with decorative boulders, sculpture, and rich vegetation. Our “pondless streams” recycle the water, are lowmaintenance, and add visual interest all winter long!

Waterfalls. Another aural and visual feast is a waterfall! As with the other water elements, yours can be a tiny delicate flow of water, mere droplets, to your own backyard Niagara Falls! Traditionally, they consist of two or more pools of water (the starting point and ending point for the falls), but for those who prefer not to add a pond, “pondless” waterfalls are also an option. Water is simply recirculated to a reservoir below ground. Pondless waterfalls are a great way to add sound to the garden without all the expense and hassle of caring for a pond. Click here to see how they are featured in the residential landscape.

Water Fountains and Fountainscapes. Small as a cereal bowl to Buckingham, a fountainscape water feature may include one simple spout or cascade like a waterfall. They may feature cherubim and seraphim with trumpets or be quite modern or Zen, depending upon your preferences and space. And today’s fountains don’t waste water, they simply cycle and recycle. Fountainscape water features are easy to maintain, come in a variety of styles, add visual interest and alluring sound to the landscape. Check out the variety of lowmaintenance water features you can add to your garden at Aquascape.